Etsy Shop-OPENING SOON!

It  has been a very busy week as I prepare to open our new Etsy Shop. Trying to familiarize myself with the In's and Outs of selling on Etsy. I am very excited and ready to take this next step in growing the business.

But, trying to balance the kids, the business and family affairs has become exhausting. SACRIFICE, SACRIFICE, SACRIFICE! I just finished reading CRUSH IT by Gary Vaynerchuk and a must read for In-Home Businesses. It outlines the best way to use the Internet to help grow your business and clientele. I am a firm believer that knowledge and action are top keys to success. I try my best to know my business, welcome and strive for growth and never stop learning.

Our Etsy Shop should be open by 8/15/2012. I hope our followers will become one of our "Admirers" at https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/CelinesCupcakeParlor.  If you already own one of your own Etsy Shops we would love to hear from you and get some tips on how you become a success.

Etsy.com is a wonderful place to purchase some unique gifts for the upcoming holiday's. And in future posts I will be sharing some of our favorite finds.

WE LOVE CONTESTS!

It is a nice, hot California day and it's my daughters last week of school. So, aside from all of  the running around and buying school supplies I found a great new website that I think I will be using quite a bit this year.

You have to checkout www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com. What a fun and interactive website and I know I will get a lot of great ideas for new projects and maybe some new recipes for our Cake Pops.

I entered to win a Kitchen Aid Food Processor by giving ideas of how to use chalkboard paint in the kitchen. Here were my entries:

1. I think it would be a neat idea to take old frying pans (that you no longer use or from the thrift store) and use the chalkboard paint on the inside. Take 4-5 pans and display them using a half wall pan rack. You can write positive, welcoming words in each pan or use it to write down what is scheduled for tonight's dinner. Fun!
2. You can use the chalkboard paint on small flower pots that you use to plant herbs. Label each herb on the flower pot and display on a nice, colorful plate or on a window seal. This would be a great project for the kiddos.
3. You know all of the white coffee mugs that you get for free from work or from a R.E agent, although they are useful, they aren't the most attractive mugs to use. So, I would get small stencils that you can create with any cardboard or cereal boxes or you can purchase from your local craft store (in shape of a heart or star, etc.) and paint over the lettering, using the stencil, with your chalkboard paint. Walla! You have a nice mug that you can write positive attributions or something funny. I think the best use is to write something loving to your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend for them to read in the morning as a surprise. What a nice way to tell you SO how much you love them or to thank them for taking out the trash the night before. Appreciation goes a long way. This would also be a great, affordable gift to give to anyone. Just purchase inexpensive white mugs and use the heart stencil. This would be a great wedding gift. You can do the same thing with a apple stencil and give to a teacher as a gift.

Click the link below for your chance to win:
 http://realwomenofphiladelphia.com/blog/post/you-ll-never-guess-what-jillian-harris-does-with-chalkboard-paint